Amuru Grade One Magistrate’s Court presided over by Edward Okot has ordered five poachers to pay a total of 3.6 million shillings or face imprisonment for illegally hunting wildlife in Murchison Falls National Park in Nwoya District.
The suspects were convicted and sentenced on Thursday last week after they admitted to two counts of offences contrary to sections 49 (1) and 74 (a) of the wildlife act cap 200 of 2000.
State prosecutor Ponsiano Okello told court that poachers were arrested while in possession of dangerous weapons such as spears, snares, fish nets and a boat.
They were identified as Robert Ocowun, 33, a resident of Got Apwoyo village, in Nwoya district and Godfrey Tekakwo,22, a resident of Mubogo village, Nebbi district.
Magistrate Okot ordered them to pay a fine of 1.1 million shillings each or face a 23-month- jail term for with illegal entry into the protected area and using devices capable of capturing, injuring or killing protected wildlife species.
Court heard that on March 23, this year, Ocowun together with his accomplices, entered the park with spears and 18 wire snares with intention to capture wildlife.
The same court also convicted two men for poaching inside Murchison Falls National Game Park.
Patrick Onencan, 25, and Paskal Biromo, 25, were each also fined 1.1 million shillings for two counts of illegal entry into the park and using devices capable of injuring or killing protected wildlife species. They are liable to serve 23- months in jail on failure to pay the 1.1 million.
On default, they are liable to serve a 23-month –jail term.
Francis Opaco, 25, a resident of Pabit East village, Purongo Sub County in Nwoya district was also convicted and fined 1.1 million shillings. If he fails, he is liable to serve a 23-month-jail term.
In March this year, court fined Moses Onencan, 25, also a resident of Nwoya 1.4 million shillings after he entered the Murchisions National Game park through Pongolo and killed one Kob and a warthog (wild pig).
Since the beginning of this year, court has convicted 15 poachers over illegal hunting in Murchison Falls National Park.
Tom Okello Obong, the area conservation manager, Murchison Falls National Park, blamed the rampant killings of wild animals on the rising demand for game meat in restaurants in major towns such as Gulu, Masindi and Nwoya.
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Question, what happened to the hunting rights granted to resident neighboring the game parks at the creation / gazetting the park? Someone told me that that was the agreement else the Acholi will eventual decimate the game reserve. Hunting was and is part of Acholi culture. Denying the Nwoya residents hunting rights yet the sacrifice a very large surface land ares in order for the rest of Uganda and the Indian Madhavani benefit from the game. The tourism unlike the Masaai Mara does not benefit Nwoya District – why don’t the Government move the game park else where and restore the game area to their original owners? Tullow was and Total is already decimating the fauna and flora in Kabalega Game Park through seismic, drilling and dumping as a result of petroleum activities. Some of the employees are hunting. I see a few foreigners operating Camp sites within the Park – are they allowed to hunt and fish? The UWA better become Nwoya host community friendly and involve the locals in the game park operations quickly. Fishing the Rivers should not be forbidden since Pakwach has always lived on Agara, and Fish from the Nile Tributaries since before the whitemen arrived. We will fight for our hunting and fishing rights rather than watch the foreigners cavorting and destroying the crocodiles and hippos habitat by he speed boats and fishing of Nile Perch available on Youtube!!